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JESSE JOHNSON, OF HEMPSTEAD COUNTY, ARKANSAS.

COTTON-CLEANSER.

Specification of Letters Patent No.-18,454, dated October 20, 1857.

To all 'whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, JEssE JOHNSON, of the county of Hempstead and Sta-te of Arkansas, have invented and made certain new Vand useful improvements in machines for cleanlng cotton thoroughly and ridding it of all dirt and foreign substances previous to and after being ginned, and I designate my `said improvements as the American cotton-cleanerg and lI do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description of the machine, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the ma `chine complete, A, A, A, A, A, being suitable uprights, connected together by rails B, B, and cross ties C, C. D, D are also short uprights framed onto rails E, E, E, and a sill F, with lateral or side boards G. Thus forming a sort of smaller or secondary frame work and attached onto and forming a part of the main framing or superstructure :above indicated by letters. To the main framing is attached a cylindrical or concave chamber apartment, in form of a semicircle or half drum as at H, the inner faces of whose sides are formed with inclined concaves radiating from the center as at z', z', z', z', z', Fig. 2, which is a longitudinal sectionV of the main or drum part of the machine, with the main uprights and part of the front and back ends shown. These inclined concaves present a similar formation to some kinds of mill dress J, J, J, J, J, J, J, showing grooves or iiutes, and c, k, lo, k, la, k, k, step like or ridge formation intended as loosening or beating edges. The bottom of this cylindrical chamber is formed of thin metal or thin wood and has series of openings or perforations. To the upper part of the main framing is attached a cap like casing, conforming to the size of the cylindrical chain, H, this cap-like casing also forming when in proper place part of the drum of the machine, the said cap being shown in Fig. 1 at L, -L, with a fragment or portion taken out from its side M M, in order to show the internal arrangement, and form of a beater shaft or cylinder N, having four or more arms o, 0, 0, with flat surfaces and square edges. These arms are to be of wood or metal of suit-able dimensions and length, and inserted substantially into the shaft or cylinder, which has an axle or spindle running through it, on each end projecting sufficiently in length to admit of being used as journal ends, working in vsuitable bearings or boxes as at P. To one end of the axle is attached a belt wheel Q, .and a band pulley R, Fig. l. To the front end of the main machine, is attached a perforated slopingly arranged concave apron device S,

S, S, resting on suit-able sills, ,and having side boards or guards Gr, Gr, Fig. 1. Immediately over this apron is arranged a cylinder or drum T, around whose circumference are series of spikes or beaters similar to a threshing machine. To the end of the axle of this drum is attached a band pulley as at u, and over it works a band or cord, and communicating with the main cylinder or beat-er N, through the pulleys R. Over this spike cylinder T is a concave or drum like cap o, with a fragment of one end out so as to expose to view the spikes 1, 2, 3, 4:, 5, and also to show the concave sloping apron with its-series of perforations between which at suitable intervals are inserted short brushes or cleaners 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, l1, 12.

By a reference to the drawing Fig. 1, it will be seen that the end of the main cap covering is open as at fw, w, and this opening is over the perforated apron and opposite to another opening formed in the circumference of the smaller cap.

At X, X, sectional Fig. 2 is a mouth place or feed opening formed in the side of they main cylinder chamber.

Fig. 3 represents the formation of the grooves or furrows. if the circumference of the sides of the drum was extended out on a plane.

The nature of my improvements consists in combining a main cylinder or drum N, provided with radiating arms O, O, O, and a secondary drum or cylinder T, provided with spikes, or teeth, similar to a threshing cylinder. The first or main cylinder N, working in a casing L L, having a perforated bottom, or grating, the sides M, M, being formed with radiating ridges, and having concave, sloping, and tapering surfaces, as in Fig. 2, at I, J, K; the form of these surfaces being shown by extending the circumferential formation in a line, as at Fig. 3. This main cylinder, I designate as the breaking or threshing cylinder. The secondary or spike cylinder T, is inclosed, beneath a top or casing o, o, o, and arranged or working over a perforated concave, and

sloping apron device s, s, s. This combination of the main cylinder N, N2, with the secondary cylinder T and the concave sloping, tapering surfaces, and the two perforated bottoms forms a unity, or individuality of machine, which performs the manifold oiiices of drawing in, even the bolls of cotton, stalks, or leaves and twigs, carrying them around in one common bulk, and against the concave surfaces and ridges, z', j, la, and also against the rough perforations e, e, of the casing Fig. 2, thus actually threshing, loosening, and disintegrating, the staple or fibrous part from the other parts, and by the centrifugal action of the radial arms, the detached matter is carried out and thrown into the perforated concave, s, s, where the spikesof the cylinder T, whip the loosened matter against the brushes, and perforations beneath the cylinder T, where, the seed, bolls, leaves, and all trash are broken up, thoroughly detached from the fiber, and forced through the orifices or perforations 6, 7, 8, 9, lO, 1l, and deposited beneath the back end of the machine, while the fiber, or staple cotton is thrown ont above, at the end of the machine at Y, Y, and perfectly cleaned, and freed of all eX- traneous matter, and delivering the staple or fiber unbroken; a result, that has never been accomplished by any, single machine.

Another most materially important feature of the nature of my improvements, is the manner of arranging the extremities, or ends N2, of the beating cylinder N, by letting the said ends into a bed, or depression, formed in the sides of the case, as shown at N3, N3, Figs. l and 2; and by this arrangement, the liber, or staple of the cotton cannot by any means be entwined or wound around the axle or journal of the cylinder, to clog, choke, and thereby retard the action of the machine. It is well known by cotton growers, that great care is required in the field in detaching the cotton from the bolls, and in picking it as free as possible from the stalk, hence the operation of picking, from the stalk, is attended with no little amount of labor, but my machine, because of its peculiar operation, does away to a very great extent with such very great care, and consequently, the picking in the field, is carried on with much greater expedition, the working of the machine, compensating, for any deficiency of caution in detaching the fiber from the stalk. And thus at least half as much again of the raw material is cleaned in a given time, than has ever before been accomplished, by mechanism, and a given amount of manual agency.

I am fully aware, that cotton cleaners have been constructed with radiating arms, and that threshing machines have been used with spike cylinders, but such different elemental parts, have not to my knowledge been used in combination, to form a unity of mechanism, performing various functions, or offices, and producingfthe important new results, that my machine does, and therefore disclaiming the cylinders as distinct devices, of themselvesl/Vhat I do claim however and desire to have secured by Letters Patent of theUnited States is as follows:

I claim the construction and arrangement of the main or beating cylinder N, in such a manner as to have the end N2, thereof to work in beds, or recesses, or depressions as at N3, N3, formed in the inner surfaces of the sides of the casing, substantially as set forth, and for -the purpose described.

JESSE JOHNSON.

l/Vitnesses:

W. V. KING, A. H. GARLAND. 

